Closure and package



Aug. 17, 1943. P. oc. WHITE, 2,326,809

CLOSURE AND PACKAGE Filed Sept. 18, 1959 J2 /51NVENTOR:

mwr fimvs arenas Aug. 17,1943 v 2,326,309

so STA CLOSURE AND PACKAGE Philip 0. White, Chicago, 111., assignor to te Cap Company, Chicago, BL, a corporation of Delaware, q v 7 Application September 18, 1939, Serial No. 295,406

13 Claims. (.01. 215-44) This invention relates to packaging, and perample, types wherein the closure is sealed on the tains particularly to a package and closure suitreceptacle in vacuo by a simple pressing operable for use in the preservative packing of foodation and is subsequentlyheld in place primarily stufis or the like. by the external atmospheric pressure. It is.

The general object of the invention is the prolikewise true that it is difiicult to remove ascrew vision of a simple closure and package. approcap which is seated on a rubber gasket from, a priate for-such uses, which may be supplied to package from which the air has been exhausted. users at low cost, which is effective to seal and This is on account of the great resistance to the preserve the contents in an air-tight condition, rotation of the cap which is offered by the high and in which the closure is applied in the first friction between it and the gasket under the exinstance with facility, will hold its\place securely, ternal atmospheric pressure. Accordingly, while yet be susceptible of removal, when desired, screw caps are desirable, from the standpoint of without involving any mutilation of it, and which, the consumer, for purpose of re-sealing, they after such original removal, may be adapted for have serious disadvantages as regards initial ap continued use as a tight closure for the receptacle l5 plication by the packer and original removal by on which it is used. the consumer. I

A particular object of the invention is the The present invention provides aclosure and provision of a closure cap for use on jars or package which meet the requirements ofboth similar receptacles which have peripheral screw packer and consumer and obviate disadvantages threads or similar closure-retaining elements referred to above, inasmuch as it is of such adjacent their mouths, and which cap is of such character that the packer may apply and hercharacter that it may be applied to and hermetimetically seal it upon a suitable screw-threaded .cally sealed upon such a jar in the first instance receptacle without screwing it into place, and simply by pressing it downwardly on the jar the housewife may remove it from the evacuated mouth after air has been displaced or exhausted package withfacility and without unscrewing it, from withinthe jar, and may be removed in the and, after its original removal, may readily adfirst instance simply by prying it upwardly just or adapt it so that thereafter it may be reenough to break the hermeticseal and then liftapplied to the receptacle and operated as a screw ing it off, and after such removal can be readily cap to form an air-tight and securely affixed adapted or adjusted by the housewife in such closure.

fashion that 'it may be re-applied to the jar and Various other objects and advantages of the retained 'thereon and detached therefrom in the invention-will be pointed out or indicated heremanner of a screw cap. I inafter or will be apparent from the following A further particular object of the invention description.

is the provision of a package having a closure For purpose of aiding'in an'explanation of the which, in the first instance, is held inplace invention, I show in the accompanying drawing merely by atmospheric pressure, yet is readily forming a part of this specification, and hereinadaptable or adjustable by the user so that it after described, certaimforms in which it may be may be re-applied and held in place as a screw I embodied. It is to be understood, however, that cap, the construction being characterized by fea- 40 these are presented merely by way of illustratures which support the closure skirt against distion and are not to be construed in any fashion tortion inwardly, thereby to safeguard the origfor limiting the appended claims short of their inal hermetic seal against being broken inad-' true and most .comprehensive scope in the art. vertently when the skirt of the closure is grasped In said drawing, w in the handling of the package. Fig.1 is a view ofan upper portion of a pack- 1 Screw caps, as closures for packages of foodage forming the subject matter of the present stufis and'the like which are dispensed pieceinvention, same showing some of the parts in meal, are favored by many consumers, houseelevation and some in section, and serving to wives for the most part, because they are familiar illustrate the relationship "of the receptacle and with the operation of such caps and have con- 5 ,one form of closure after the initial application fidence in their security, and immediately recogand sealing of the latter upon the former; nize them as re-seal'closures. However, it is Fig. :2 is an elevational view of such closure recognized byfood packers that screw caps recap before it is applied to the receptacle in the quire more time for application and sealing on first instance or after it is originally removed receptacles than do caps of other types, for ex. from the receptacle; I

Fig. .3 is a detail in the nature of a sectionon line 3-4 oi Fig. 2 but on a considerably enlarged scale; Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view illustrating the relationship of such closure and the receptacle after the closure has'been adapted for coopera- "clusive hermetically sealed on a threaded receptacle of the character illustrated in Fi 6;

8 is a sectional detail similar to Fit. '7 and showing the same closure cap and receptacle but with" the section taken at a point intermediate the holding elements;

Fig. 9 is a similar sectional detail illustrating a modified form of closure cap in positionon a threaded receptacle-but before it is pressed to the hermetically sealed position;

Fig. 10 is a similar sectional detail illustrating the relationship of, the form of closur'e'cap shown in Fig. 9 to the receptacle in the operation of applying it thereto as a screw oap,after it has been originally removed from the receptacle and modified by the user;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary elevational view of a closurecap of the type illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10; and a Fig. 12 is a similar fragmentary elevational view of another modified form of closure cap which contains certain of the features of the type illustrated in Fig. 2 and other features of the type illustrated in Figs. 9 and 11.

The nature of the invention will be most quickly ascertained from" the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments shown in the drawing. The closure cap includes a shell which is preferably formed of a material such as sheet metal having the proper strength, stiffness and ductility. It is shaped with a top l8 and a depending annular skirt H which terinmates at its lower margin in a rolled annular stifiening bead l2. Retained in the shell, as by being adhesively secured to the top It, is a sealing gasket H, which has a certain amount of elasticity but also some plastic quality, as for example, a partially vulcanized rubber compound or a rubber compound containing latex. This gasket occupies a position against the under side of the top I! adjacent the skirt ll,

At suitable circumferentially spaced locations the skirt is provided with adjustable holding elements of special character. In the embodiments illustrated in Figs. 1 to inclusive, '1 and 1 these are formed by slitting the metal of the skirt along a line l5 extending parallel with the top In and re-forming a portion of the metal below said slit, as in the shaded area l8, by ressing it inwardly slightly. The structure is shown on magnified scale in Fig. 3, where it will be seen that "the metal immediately above the slit is pressed inwardly slightly and that the upper margin of the re-formed portion I6 is pressed inwardly only a very slight distance beyond the normal outer surface of the skirt. Consequently, a slight shoulder or outwardly overhanging portion I1 is formed immediately above the slit. In this fashion the raw edges 90 apart, etc.

- used, and said receptacle 2|, as shown in Fig.

is formed with a neck portion 2i, preferably of approximately cylindrical form above a peripheral outwardly extending ledge 22, andupon said neck portion ii are, formed suitable retaining elements. These may be in the nature of a plurality of outwardly projecting lugs or ledges 14 arranged at a circumferential distribution corresponding to that of the holding elements of the closure and having their under surfaces pitched or sloping in the circumferential clockwise direction aftere fashion of a scre'w thread. These are conventional ledges or in; clines but the retaining elements may be or" any of various other forms, such as conventional screw threads, either continuous or plural.

A characterizing feature of the closure is the fact that in its original-complete condition, the condition in which it is supplied to the packer and by him applied to the receptacle, itmay be applied to the neck of the receptacle and fully seated to sealed position thereon with its hold lng elements IS in any position, circumferen tially considered, relative to the ledges. This is due to the fact that the skirt of theclosure is purposely formed on such a radius that it will admit the overall width of the neck, inclusive of the ledges 24, past the holding elements when they are in their initial positions as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. In other words, the inwardly displaced portions it of the holding elements are not .pressed inwardly far enough to interfere with the neck ledges 24, and hence the closure may drop freely onto the receptacle until the gasket seats on the mouth rim.

As a consequence, the closure may be sealed on the receptacle in the first instance by a very simple procedure involving merely the placing of it upon the receptacle neck, either before or after air has been displaced from the head space, then pressing it down so as to intrude the mouth rim oi the receptacle into the gasket sufficiently to effect an air-tight sealing contact between them,

and then, while so held, subjecting the package 'to normal atmospheric pressure.

quence of the reduction in the internal pressure, the closure is held in place on the receptacle by the external atmospheric pressure in a well .known fashion. The parts are so proportioned economical operations on the part of th packer, and that it may be removed in an unharmed conditlon by equally simple operations on the part ofthe consumer. Upon such removal, the gasket As a conse-' i4 remain'sadhesively secured in the closure cap.

In order to adapt the closure for use in the fashion of a screw cap, the consumer-user is required simply to press the holding elements I6 inwardly to an extent such that at least a part Of their upper margins will come within the circumferential area of the ledges 24. This may be done conveniently while the closure is off of thereceptacle, simply by pressing inwardly the.

portions I 6 with the tip end of a spoon. The circumferential extent of the slits l5 imposes a practical limitation to the extent to which the parts l6 may be conveniently pressed inwardly, and the shoulder I! (Fig. 3) form a stop or guide for the positioning of the implement with which the pressing is done. A suitable legend may, be lithographed on the top I0, giving the necessary directions as to the pressing of the holding elements.

It is to be observed that in the original pro-forming of the elements l6 they are placed under some compression longitudinally, or in the circumferential direction of the skirt, due to the fact that their upper margins are moved toward a chordal position relative to the arc of the skirt. When they are subsequently displaced farther inwardly" by the user so as to move them to positions where they will function as screw lugs, they aremoved.

past the chord line, with the result that the metal of the skirt reacts through them, in their longitudinal direction, to resist their deflection out-' wardly. In other words, as illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 5, the chord line ch represents a dead-center plane located outwardly from the margin of the inwardly offset holding element l6 and, since the chordal length is less than the length of the holding element, the outward displacement of said element is resisted by the metal 1 of the skirt IL;

Accordingly, when the user has bent the holding elements inwardly as above described, they form inwardly projecting lugs somewhat as illustrated in Fig. 4, suitably spaced circumferentially for cooperation with the receptacle ledges 24 in the customary fashion of screw lugs. The spacing of the slits relative to the top of the cap and the spacing of the inclined lower surfaces of the ledges 24 relative to the mouth rim of the receptacle are selected so that when the closure is screwed onto-the receptacle, the mouth rim of the latter will be pressed into the gasket M, as

seen in Fig. 4,so as to form'a tight seal, even duced by screwing the cap down firmly upon the receptacle. The stiffening bead i2 contributes to stability of the holding elements and resists distortion of the skirt. The form of the-holding elements as above described avails of the strength of the metal to the best advantage, as they remain integral with the skirt metal throughout their entire height and they are located below the ledges so that they are in compression and are supported by the stiifening bead and lower skirt metal against the thrust of the ledges. I-n instances where the closure cap is of relatively large diameter, such that the skirt may be flexed fairly easily to an out-of-round form by inward pressure at opposite points, as by grasping the skirt .of the cap to lift the package, or when the cap shell is made of a metal which is readily flexible, it may be desirable to provide for definitely limiting the extent to which the cap skirt may be flexed inwardly, particularly at points intermediate the holding elements. This may be desirable because of the fact that inward pressure upon the cap skirt sufiicient to spring or distort it to an excessively out-of-round form may arch the top 10, and lift the gasket away from the receptacle rim suificientlyto break the hermetic seal. This is particularly likely to happen if the package is thus grasped immediately after the sealing operation, before the contents.

of the package have been allowed to cool sufficiently to produce a high pressure difierential.

One arrangement for providing for the support of the cap skirt is illustrated in Fig. 6. This represents a multiple thread arrangement for the neck of the receptacle, said neck being designat-- ed by the numeral 2|, and being formed with the pry-off ledge 22. The threads are designated 24', and it will be observed "that there is a plu-' rality of them, their upper ends being arranged v in circumferential distribution corresponding to the distribution of the holding elements of the cap. From their upper ends, they spiral down- ,wa'rdly to the points 2411, and from those points are continued, in relationships normal-to the axis -of the neck, as prolongations 24b, which prolongations extend past the upper ends of the threads and for a distanc under their higher Portions.

As-a result of this arrangement of the threads, when the closure is hermetically sealed on the receptacle, abutments will be provided within the entire circumference of the cap skirt and sufficiently close to it and its lower margin to prevent inward fiexure of it to an extent such as to arch the top panel and break the hermetic seal. These relationships are illustrated in Figs.

' 7 and 8, Fig. '7 representing a section through one of the holding elements at a point approximat-- ing line 1-1 of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 representing a section at a point .approximating line 8-8 of Fig. 6. While there necessarily must be some clearance between the skirt of the cap and the peripheries of the threads, at some points, in order to permit the cap to goon freely, such clearance is not sufiiciently great to permit any material inward distortion of the skirt at its lower edge. Of course, the length of th threads and the extent of their overlapping portions will be varied according to the circumferential size of the receptacle neck, to obtain this result.

For deep skirted caps of medium to large size, for example with an internal skirt diameter of 2.77 in. or more and a skirt depth of Arin. or

; so, it is desirable to use substantially thicker sheet caps.

metal than is necessary for relatively shallow There are various reasons for this, in-

cluding the fact that it is easier to apply distorting pressures to larger-and deeper skirted caps by hand in the ordinary operations of screwing them onto and taking them off of the recepta-. cle. In embodying the present invention in caps,

which are made of such heavie and stiller metal,

it may be desirable, in order that the holding elements may be bent inwardly without too much effort, that said elements may be of-somewhat modified form. One such modified form is illustrated in Fig. 11, wherein the holding element metal.

extending a substantial distance circumferentially of the skirt but only a relatively short distance in the axial direction. This tongue is cut free from the metal of the skirt along its end margins as well as along its upper margin, and

remains integral therewith along its lower end. Such a tongue may be bent inwardly by the housewife more readily than cana holding element of the form shown in Fig. 2, and hence is suitable for use in a cap which is made of the stiil'er metal. In the forming of such a tongue in the skirt of the cap, it is likely to be displaced inwardly to some extent from the normal internal circumference of the adjacent metal, and this fact, plus the fact that the tongue itself is of substantial thickness, would ordinarily necessitate a considerable clearance between the internal surface of the skirt and the periphery of the screw threads on the receptacle in order to permit the cap to drop freely onto the receptacle neck to a position where the gasket will contact the mouth rim of the-latter.

. Such excessive clearance or space between the interior surface of the skirt and the periphery of the screw threads is undesirable for various reasons, among them the fact that it permits the cap to be sealed on the receptacle in a considerably eccentric relationship and 'the fact that itpermits distortion of the skirt by inward pressure.

To eliminate these disadvantages, I provide the construction illustrated in Figs, 9, 10 and 11, wherein the cap skirt is made of an internal diameter such that it will drop freely past the periphery of the screw threads of the receptacle. but without leaving a clearance such as to permit any substantial lateral or eccentric shifting of the cap on the receptacle neck. Then, in order to accommodate the necessary inward displacement of the tongues or holding elements, I form the skirt with outwardly embossed portions or panels 25,- which are pressed outwardly to an extent somewhat in excess of the thickness of the The tongues or holding elements are slotted out of and offset inwardly from these emb'ossments or panels 25, so that their innermost surfaces lie approximately n the arc of the internal surface of the skirt. This relationship is shown in Fig. 9, from which it will be observed that the internal surfaces of both the skirt and the holding elements are closely adjacent the periphery of the thread. Thus the closure is permitted to drop freely onto the neck of the vessel to the position shown in that figure.

For the purpose of adapting the closure for screw engagement with the receptacle, after its original removal therefrom, the holding elements I6 are bent inwardly as by pressure from the tip of a spoon or similar utensil, to an extent such that their upper margins fall within a cit cumference less than that of the thread periphery. In such disposal, the holding elements are adapted to function as screw lugs, and to engage the thread of the receptacle as illustrated in Fig.

asaasoo is designated at l6, and is in the form of a tongue numerous other particulars. For example, the ledges of the receptacle may be made'in the form of a continuous screw thread and the holding elements disposed at different distances from th top, appropriate for cooperation with such threads, or the ledges may be formed with nonsloping under surfaces and the holding elements of the closure may be formed with pitched or sloping upper margins for wedging or camming cooperation with them. Hence it is to be understood .that in the appended claims the terms thread" and screw-thread" are used in a generic sense.

What I claim is:

1'. A closure cap for use as a slip-on cap and as a screw cap on a receptacle having a peripherally threaded neck, comprising a shell having a top portion with a plastic annular sealing gasket 10, enabling the cap to be screwed onto the resecured'in contact with its under surface in position to seat on the mouth rim ofthe receptacle and form an hermetic seal thereon, and a depending annular skirt of size such-as to receive the threaded neck of the receptacle freely and permit the closure to drop downwardly thereon until the gasket contacts the mouth rim, said skirt having -pre-formed therein holding elements which are located entirely outside the area of the receptacle neck thread but are displaceable inwardly, by radial pressure applied by hand after the closure is removed from the receptacle, to positions where portions of said holding elements are within the area. of the receptacle neck thread so as to cooperate therewith as screw lugs to permit theclosure to be screwed onto and off of the receptacle and form a tight re-seal thereon.

2. A closure cap as specified in claim 1 and wherein the skirt is formed immediately adjacent said pre-formed holding elements with external stop portions for facilitating the proper positioning on the holding elements of an'implement' whereby they may be bent inwardly.

3. A closure cap as specified in claim 1 and wherein the upper margins of the holding elements are defined by slits in the metal of the skirt, and the metal along said slits is displaced inwardly slightly so as to conceal the raw margins.

4. A closure cap asspecified in claim 1 and wherein the holding elements are integral with the skirt metal at their ends and.along their bottoms and are respectively formed with an upwardly presented margin 'which is displaceable inwardly beyond the chord line whichmeets the skirt at the ends of said margin.

5. A closure cap as specified in claim 1 and wherein the skirt is shaped with outwardly offset embossments in which the holding elements are formed.

6. A closure cap as specified in claim 1 and wherein the skirt is shaped with outwardly offset embossments in which the holding elements are formed as upwardly extending tongues.

'7. A closure cap as specified in claim 1 and wherein the skirt is shaped with outwardly offset embossments in which the holding elements are formed as upwardly extending tongues located approximately in the normal arc of the skirt.

8. A closurecap for the purpose described comprising a shell made of sheet metal and havin a top portion and an annular depending skirt,

and a plastic annular sealing gasket secured against the under surface of the top portion adjacent the skirt and adapted to form an hercent the lower ends of the holding elements.

10. A closure cap for the purpose described comprising a shell formed with a top portion and annular depending skirt, and a plastic sealing 12. A package comprising a receptacle having a neck with a peripherally-projecting thread, and

a closure cap having a metal shell formed with a top portion and depending annular skirt, a plastic sealing gasket being secured upon the under surface of said top portion adjacent the skirt,

said skirt having pre-formed therein adjustable holding elements which are disposed entirely beyond the periphery of said thread so'that the closure can can drop freely onto the receptacle neck to a position where the gasket may seat on the mouth rim of the latter, upper ends ,of said holding elements being displaceable inwardly byradial pressure applied by hand when the closure is ofi of the receptacle, to positions where they may engage under the thread and cooperate gasket secured upon the under side of the top portion adjacent the skirt, said skirt being formed with outwardly offset embossments at locations spaced circumferentially thereof, and

portions of the material within said embossments being formed as tongues disposed approximately in the normal arc ofthe skirt, said tongues being severed from the skirt along their upper margins and remaining integral with the skirt at their lower margins, whereby their upper portions may be displaced inwardly by pressure applied by hand to function asscrew lugs.

11. A closure cap as specified in claim 10 and wherein the skirt is provided at its lower end with a circumferentially extending. annular stiffening bead adjacent the lower ends of said tongues.

therewith as screw lugs so as to enable the closure to be screwed into place on the receptacle and press the gasket upon its, mouth rim;

13. A package as specified in claim 12 and wherein the said thread is formed in a plurality of sections each having its upper part extending spirally and its lower part extending normal to the axis of the neck, said sections being disposed with spiral upper. portions of respective sections overlapping normal lower portions of adjacent sections, said thread lying above the lower limit of the skirt when the closure is seated on the re- I ceptacle and having its periphery disposed in proximity with the inner wall of the skirt to prevent' substantial inward flexion thereof,

PHILIP OC; WHITE. 

